Oh, No
by Archival Storage
Summary: Raven just wanted to pass her biology class as best as she could, and Garfield just wanted to understand his stupid literature class. Maybe they didn't have a whole lot in common, but that didn't mean that they couldn't help each other out. Although, this whole tutor thing could get messy if Raven didn't figure her feelings out soon. Did all cute boys have to have dimples?
1. Chapter 1

**Oh, No  
** Chapter One

-o-

Raven cursed under her breath, her fingers tightening around her pen as she sighed. She had read this passage at least three times over and it still wasn't making any sense to her. Why in the world was a _phylum_? Where did that go on this stupid chart? Above kingdom? Below it? Another soft curse fell from her lips and she bit back a groan. Why wasn't this making any sense? Who in the world invented biology and why couldn't she find them and teach them a well-deserved lesson?

Growling, she let her head fall forward into the pages of her text book, fighting back the sudden push of emotions that rose into her chest. Something twisted and tightened within her, and she couldn't stop the pungent taste of anger from bubbling up into her throat. If she failed this stupid, pointless class, her GPA would be ruined in her last semester of high school, and _then what_? She would have a blemish on her record all over a _stupid_ science class.

Determined not to let this get the best of her, Raven picked up her head and pushed at her hair, trying to read her textbook again. So help her, she would ace this class if it was the _only_ thing she did this semester. Looking down into her book she tried to read the last paragraph again, getting through the second sentence before the sudden, soft sound of snoring pulled her back out of the pages and into reality again.

"For the love…" She glowered and tightened her hands by her side. "I cannot believe someone is _sleeping_ here!"

This could _not_ be happening. Not in the library. Not in her once place of solace of solitude. Someone could _not_ be taking a nap here. Slamming her hands onto the table she stood up and walked through the shelves to the table at the back of the library. There, nestled in between the pages of what appeared to be _King Lear_ was a boy who looked barely younger than herself. His hands were sprawled out over the aged wood, crumpled papers folded into half-hearted airplanes underneath his fingers.

Raven's nostrils flared in anger and she reached forward, yanking the book out from underneath his head. There was a moment where it looked like something out of a cartoon, his head smacking into the wood before he yanked himself back up into a sitting position.

" _Ow_." He rubbed a bump growing on his forehead. "What the hell?"

Raven sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you done _snoring_?"

"Awe man… was I really? That's super embarrassing." He let his head fall into his hands and groaned, his cheeks darkening to a bright pink as he stared up at her from between his fingers. "I am _so_ sorry! I've been here since this morning working on this essay and I'm not getting anywhere and I think I just kind of nodded off."

"You were sawing an entire forest." Raven dropped the book down in front of him and pursed her lips. "A library is no place to nap."

"Says who?" He shrugged and pulled his book back toward him. "It's quiet and no one is ever in here… except for you apparently."

"And _you_." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at him, feeling that bubble of anger rise up into her throat again. He was so _flippant_ about it! He should have at least a little bit of humility! "You're here, _sleeping_ of all things."

"Yeah. But maybe it's because this stupid play is so _boring_." He let go of a dramatic groan, his head falling back against his shoulders. "Like, _who cares_ , dude. Yeah, you're an old king and you've got daughters that betray you, like every other Shakespeare play. I don't even know why I should care about you."

Raven lifted an eyebrow, tapping her fingers along her upper arm. He bemoaned his fate for a little while longer before finally snapping his mouth shut. She let to of a soft, irritate breath. "Are you done complaining?"

"Yeah, for right now anyway." He picked up the book and began paging through it. He glanced up at her from between locks of sandy-blonde hair, his too-green eyes catching her stare with a mirth. "Maybe later I'll actually get around to complaining some more, just to remind you I'm still here."

She rolled her eyes. "Before or after you fall back asleep and snore loud enough to wake the dead?"

"Before, of course." He stretched and sat up straighter, pushing his hair out of his eyes. There was a flash of something dark behind his irises, and he smirked, leaning forward to look at her. "And probably _after_ you wake me up by muttering under your breath about _genus_ and _species_ and _phylum_. Man, I can't imagine what that's like. At least I'm acing basic biology instead of struggling over basic concepts."

Low blow. Raven's hands clenched at her sides for a moment before she pitched forward and pushed herself into his suddenly shocked face. He obviously wasn't expecting her to fight back, and she refused to let him get the better of her. Gnashing her teeth, she pushed her face close to his own and growled.

"Well, at least I get the basic themes of _King Lear_ and fully understand what Shakespeare was trying to say within the context of his words." She reached forward and flicked his forehead, watching with a bit of satisfaction as he he winced and rubbed the small, red spot tenderly. "But, you know, I got those concepts in my freshman lit class and didn't wait until I was practically graduating."

The boy cocked his head to the side, his lips pursing into something resembling a pout. "Well then, it seems we're both good at something the other isn't. Congratulations, we're human." He shuffled his feet before standing up, extending his hand. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot."

"You think?" Raven eyed his hand cautiously, not sure if she wanted to shake it or not.

"Okay okay. Sorry." He sighed and gave her a sheepish look. "My name is Garfield, and I'm going to give you thirty seconds to make fun of it before we go back to normal conversation."

Raven snickered. "Please at least tell me that you have a dog named Odie."

"You know…" He tapped his fingers on his chin. "I've heard that one before. Got anything I haven't?"

Raven rubbed along the line of her jaw, pretending to think for a moment before looking down at him. "Nope, I guess I'm fresh out." She shifted a little bit before putting out her hand, not quite meeting his stare. "Raven."

"Do I get thirty seconds to make fun of _your_ name?"

She blanched, pulling her hand back. He could _not_ be serious? " _No_."

"Awe, really?" He looked a little put out by the shortness of her response. "Because I could think of about a hundred great jokes for your name. I mean I could say-"

" _No_ , Garfield."

"Alright. I get it, Rae."

" _Rae!?_ "

Garfield grinned. "It's cute, right?"

"It's _not_ cute." Raven was unable to control her blush, and she felt her cheeks redden as she stared at him. Just _what_ was it about him that kept her from telling him off? She should have gotten angry and lashed out, but here he was, giving her pet names and she was just _letting_ him, like an idiot.

He smiled and cocked his head to the side, his blonde locks falling into those too-bright eyes. "Oh, come on, _Rae_. It's a little cute."

Raven swore she heard the _twang_ of Cupid's bow somewhere in the distance, and all she could think was:

 _Oh, no_.

-o-

"See? Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species."

Garfield hummed under his breath and tapped his pen on her book for a moment before drawing an inverted triangle, doodling in the margins of her textbook. Raven watched his fingers move quickly, suddenly finding herself drawn to a scar near his right wrist. He smelled faintly of mint and lemons and cool, clean water, and Raven found herself drawn to the scent, as if it were a strange kind of cologne. Fighting back a blush, she pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up into his face as he smiled at her.

"See? It's kind of like a… like an upside-down pyramid. You start with the biggest thing at the top with the most blocks, and then you end up with something small and specific." He set the pen down and handed it to her, still smiling that too-bright smile. "Does that help?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

"No problem, _Rae_." He put emphasis on the nickname he gave her, grinning from underneath those blonde locks. "I'm happy to help you pass basic biology anytime you want."

"Thanks for rubbing it in." Rolling her eyes, Raven took her notebook back from him and propped her head up on her hand. She watched him for a long moment, his little pink tongue sticking out from between his lips as he hastily scratched notes in between the lines of his half-written essay. Her eyes landed on a sentence and she cringed, leaning over the table to take the notebook from him. "That's _not_ what that word means. In fact, it's not even close."

His face fell and he leaned forward, scratching out the word with a soft, defeated sigh. "Damnit. I really thought I nailed that one."

"You know, you don't have to throw big words in there just to make it sound better, right? It's all about organization and pacing. If you think carefully about what you're going to say and simply _say it_ , it sounds better than when you try to add three dollar words." Raven offered him a sympathetic stare and she took the notebook from his hand, taking a few moments to reorganize his thoughts and remove all the words he thought he understood. After a few quiet minutes, she handed it back to him. "See? Better."

" _Woah!_ Way better!" He took the notebook from her hands and smiled brightly, his eyes lighting up. "That's exactly what I was trying to say! Thanks!"

"You're welcome." She blushed a little and avoided his eyes. "I didn't really do much except help you figure out what you were trying to say. You were close, just not quite there yet."

Raven cocked her head to the side, feeling her heart start to do that strange skipping feeling in her chest again. What in the world was it about _him_ that made her feel this way? Like she had forgotten how to breathe and which way was up. Everything seemed to tumble end-over-end, and she wasn't sure how to keep a hold on her head just yet. She pushed at her hair and began fidgeting with the pages of her book. "You know… this could be a good arrangement."

"What?" He smirked and watched her. "You help me with my lit class and I help you _not_ fail basic bio?"

Raven shrugged, trying not to focus on the way his eyes lit up as stared at her. "It's just for this semester."

"You are pretty crafty with a pen, Rae." He closed his notebook and nodded. "I wouldn't mind the help."

"Yeah, I guess." She shifted in the chair, unused to the weight of his compliment, and she nodded. Tapping her fingers on her closed book, she looked into his eyes, trying to focus on anything other than how _green_ they were. "And you're not half-bad with helping understand what the hell a phylum is."

"That's what I'm here for." If possible, his smile got even brighter. "So… what do you say? I'll tutor you if you tutor me?"

"All right." Raven's blush deepened and she looked away with a nod. "I think that's a fair trade."

"Perfect!" He leaned forward and rested his hand over hers. "So, we'll meet here again tomorrow?"

"S-sure." Raven stared down at his hand covering her own and tried to hold onto her thoughts before they flew far away from her control. "I'll see you here tomorrow."

"Great! It's a date!"

Raven blanched. _Had he just said…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, No.  
** Chapter Two

-o-

Raven let go of a strangled sigh as her eyes darted up to the clock hanging above a faded poster with stock photos of books claiming that "Reading Takes You Places". She shook her head and tapped her pen against her blank page as she chewed at her lower lip. It was practically impossible for her to piece together all of the information on her study guide, and the questions didn't make sense to her. She shifted in her chair, trying to get comfortable and reread the question for the third time, but she couldn't focus.

He was late.

Raven groaned and stared up at the florescent light above her head, counting the four dead flies in the translucent cover. It shouldn't have mattered that he was late. They barely knew each other, had only talked once, and all they had agreed to was to help tutor each other in subjects they were both doing poorly in. He was probably disorganized and forgot that they were going to meet today. Or maybe he just didn't care enough. Or maybe he went to the student center and got help from a real tutor, instead of another student. Or maybe-

"Sorry, I'm late!"

Raven jolted a bit, her thoughts coming to a screeching halt as she whipped around in her chair. Garfield was rushing up to the small table in the corner of the library, his messenger bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder as he juggled two paper cups in either hand.

"There was a line at the coffee shop and I didn't realize the guy in front of me was going to order enough coffee to caffeinate a small army, and by that time I was already committed, so…" He blushed and set a cup in front of her, placing two teabags of her favorite tea on top of the plastic lid. "...and I don't have your number to call you to let you know I was running late-"

That's true. They hadn't exactly exchanged contact information.

"-and…" He sighed and flopped down in the chair across from her, shaking his head. "...it was just a perfect storm of everything going bad at once. But, I'm here and I'm ready to help. The tea is to apologize… I hope I picked right. I thought I saw you drinking it last time."

"Y-yeah…" Raven's cheeks flushed and she looked from her cup to his face and back again. "Thank you?"

"Sure! I wanted to do something at least. You're going to help me pass this class, so it's the least I could do to thank you."

Raven wanted to point out that he was doing the same for her, but she somehow managed to keep her mouth shut. She watched as he leaned forward and plucked her study guide out from under her hand, setting it in front of himself. The pause in their conversation allowed Raven a moment to take in the sight of him, wondering if she had let her imagination run away with itself last time. Was he really as awkwardly attractive as she remembered? Or had her mind filled in the blanks with things she wanted to see? Her stare drifted over a scar near his temple, the freckles spattered over his nose and under his eyes, and she felt her heart skip a few beats.

She hadn't made it up - he really _was_ kind of cute. His eyes were bright and his smile was a little strange and lopsided, but it only served to add a sort of unusual, boyish charm. A few seconds passed in silence and he looked up at her with a smile. "Are you going to drink your tea before it gets cold?"

Oh. Right.

She peeled the lid back on the cup and popped the teabags inside, watching Garfield out of the corners of his eyes. He was making notes on her study guide, writing little helpful hints and ideas in an untidy scrawl that seemed to match his personality. Raven was fascinated by his hands, and her eyes followed the pen as it moved, taking in the callus on his right index finger - a sign that he wrote a lot and often. Something about that confused her, as if she needed to know what he wrote about and why. But instead of prying into him, she raised her cup to her lips and took a long sip of her tea.

"Oh!" Garfield looked up and set his pen to the side, his smile filling his face. "Before I forget, let me see your phone."

Raven slid her phone across the table to him. He grinned and picked it up, taking a selfie of himself before typing something into the screen and handing it back to her. "There! Now you have my phone number in case something happens and you can't make it."

"Can't make it?"

His smile fell a little bit, and he looked a bit sheepish, his cheeks staining red as he avoided her stare. He fidgeted with the pen in his hands for a moment before looking back at her. "I mean… I don't want to assume or anything, but I guess I was thinking… maybe this would be a weekly thing? Maybe we could see each other on Thursdays and… help?" He forged out a soft bark of awkward laughter. "I mean, if that works for you and everything. Like I said, I don't want to assume so-"

"Sure." Raven cut him off and silently hoped her face didn't look as red as it felt. She cleared her throat and took another sip of her tea, eyes still not meeting his. "We can work together until the semester is over. I'll help you pass your literature class if you help me pass bio."

"Really?" Garfield's face lit up, and Raven wasn't sure she could hear his answer over the pounding of her heart in her ears. Another second skipped by and he reached over to rest his hand on her own - a small movement of camaraderie, nothing more.

But still, hear heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest.

Raven licked her lips and pulled her hand back, knowing the truth before she even really thought about it:

She was totally, utterly, and completely _gone_.

-o-

He was too close to her. _Way_ to close. So close that she could smell his musky cologne and that alone was incredibly dangerous. Raven's hands desperately clung to her paper cup to keep her hands from trembling as he walked her through his outline of his paper for King Lear. His elbow occasionally brushed against her own, but he barely reacted to the contact, and Raven realized she was being utterly ridiculous. They had brushed _elbows_ , that was _it_.

She really, _really_ needed to get a hold of herself.

Heart thumping, she stood up and walked to the trash, throwing her empty cup away so she could at least put space between them. Garfield looked up at her with wide eyes, looking far too much like a puppy for Raven to consider him anything else. She half-expected to hear the soft _thump thump_ of a tail against the legs of his chair. Her heart jumped back up into her throat and she cocked her head to the side, watching him.

"So…?" He motioned to his notebook. "Not… awful?"

Raven shook her head. "Not _awful_."

He caught the inflection in her voice. "But…?"

"But, you're missing some of the main themes. You're really close, but… you haven't got it all right." Raven fell into the chair across from him, trying to focus on explaining the story rather than the fact that his dimples were starting to appear. _Dimples_. It really should be illegal for cute boys to have _dimples_. They were already cute, what did they need dimples for?

She reached across the table and picked up his pen, ticking off a few things. "See, here is where you're missing what he's saying. You're completely misinterpreting what this is supposed to mean to the overall story and how it's going to affect things later in the play." She made a few notes in the margins, letting him know where his weakest spots were. "But you're super close. If I were to grade your paper, I'd give you a B minus at best."

His face fell and he pouted. Raven didn't think it was possible for him to look cuter, but somehow he managed it. What in the world was this boy doing to her? Shifting a little in her seat, she closed his notebook and pushed it back to him. "You're still doing well. Better than most people. I know _King Lear_ isn't exactly the _easiest_ play to get through… and sometimes it's hard to really understand a play without seeing it."

That seemed to trigger something in his mind, and Garfield snapped his fingers. "Isn't there a movie I can see?"

Raven nodded. "A few."

"Good! So, let's rent one!" He reached across the table and rested his hand over her wrist, leaving a spot of warmth where he touched. His smiled widened and he looked practically ecstatic. "We can rent a copy and then you can come over to my place and we'll watch it together. After that I'll help you ace that first Bio test. Sound like a plan?"

"What?" Raven felt like the world had jerked to a stop underneath her feet. "At your place?"

"Yeah!" He began gathering up his books and pens, tucking them in his bag animatedly. His smile was practically _beaming_ at this point, and there was a child-like joy that seemed to fill his entire being. "It could be nice. I'll even stop and get some candy or something, or I can have my-"

" _Woah_. Hold on." Raven held her hands out in front of her and shook her head. It didn't matter how cute he was, she barely knew enough about Garfield to fill a teaspoon. She certainly wasn't going to invite herself over to his place so quickly. "Look, I appreciate the concern for my test next week, but… I barely know you. I can help you as much as I can, but you can't fault me for being at least a _little_ bit cautious."

His cheeks flushed and he looked away. "I mean… no… I can't. But, we won't be alone. Not really, anyway. My… guardians? Um... _parents_. My parents will be home."

Raven blinked, trying not to swell on the fact that he stumbled over what to call them. There was obviously something in his past he wasn't ready to tell her yet, and she didn't want to press the issue. "You live at home?"

"For now. They said I can move out next semester, and they'll even get me my own apartment, but I've got to ace every class. Not a single 'B' or I'm still stuck in my room at the house until I graduate, and I can't handle that. I need to get out." Garfield chewed on his lower lip and looked back up into her eyes, his honesty so apparent it nearly knocked her back. He offered her a pleading look, stretching his hands across the table. "That's why it's so important that I pass this class with an A, Raven. And why I need your help so badly. I really, _really_ want to move out."

"That's a pathetic reason to want to pass." She sighed, but she could feel her resolve slipping just a little. It didn't help that a lock of his hair had fallen into his eyes and his cheeks flushed to a soft pink. "But…"

His eyes brightened. "But?"

"But I can't fault you for it, Gar." Sighing in defeat, Raven felt the corners of her lips turn up at the edges. She knew she was helpless against him, and so there was no reason to fight anymore. Not when he was looking at her like she was the most important thing in the world. "Alright, you win. I'll come over tonight and we'll watch a copy of _King Lear_. And then we'll figure out your essay so you can pass… but _only_ if you help me pass my test next week."

"Deal! I'll put together a whole mock test and I know you'll ace it!"

Raven tried not to see those dimples on his cheeks again or the joy that flooded his entire body, but it was too late. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she shifted in her seat again, watching as he scribbled down his address. Not for the first time that day, Raven wondered what she had gotten into. Her eyes flicked up to his own and he beamed at her, looking like he had won the lottery and he hadn't even played. And Raven, as hard as she tried to stop it, felt her heart melt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, No.  
** Chapter Three

Raven double checked the address he had given her, thinking that maybe this was some kind of elaborate prank he pulled. Garfield was jovial and nice, and Raven knew that, but that didn't necessarily negate the fact that he might be a bit of a jokester too. Maybe he didn't like her as much as he led on. Maybe she really _was_ just a joke to him. Or… maybe there was just a lot about him that she didn't know. A bubble of nervousness and embarrassment rose into her chest and burst, spreading doubt through her veins.

Raven shuffled and stared at the bright, silver numbers screwed into the pale stone of the gate. He _must_ have been playing a trick on her… right? But, he didn't seem _this_ mean. Not mean enough to send her a wild goose chase through _this_ particular neighborhood, up to _this_ particular address. Maybe she transposed a few numbers to the address? Raven doubted that, but there was a little bit of hope that _she_ was the one at fault. She checked her phone again and knew for a fact that _this_ was the address Garfield gave her: the infamous Dayton residence.

Hands shaking, she pressed the call button next to the gate and watched the small viewing screen as a face popped up. The guard looked down at her, eyebrows shooting up as he took in her form with a little bit of surprise. She blushed under the sudden scrutiny, but did her best to maintain her composure.

The guard licked his lips and hummed. "Can I help you?"

"I'm… um… I'm Raven?" She adjusted the messenger bag slung around her shoulder, needing something to do with her hands. If she just stood here under this man's heavy stare, it was likely she would turn tail and run. "I'm here for Garfield?"

"Punctual. That's refreshing." The guard nodded and tapped a few keys on a computer next to him.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief, finally understanding that Garfield had not played a terrible prank on her. But her relief was short lived, and she suddenly realized that there were a hundred other questions this opened up. If Garfield really _did_ live here, then _how_ was he related to the Daytons? Why was he going to a _public_ university? How in the world did no one know that he was somehow related to one of the richest most influential people in the _world_? Raven swallowed all of her questions as the guard stopped talking, and his dark, heavy stare turned back to her.

"Garfield has requested that we forgo the usual guard escort to the house and that _he_ meet you at the gate-"

"Is that Raven?"

Raven flushed brightly and heard him scrambling to reach the camera. The guard let out a few, rough words under his breath and rolled his chair away in defeat. A few moments later, she saw Garfield's grinning, sheepish face fill the small screen and in spite of all the craziness that surrounded her in this exact moment - her heart still skipped. It obviously didn't matter to her wild emotions that he was related Daytons, the only thing that really mattered was that he was still Garfield, and he still made her feel like a little, giddy school girl.

Blushing brightly, she lifted the DVD case and copy of her book to the camera. "I came prepared, if you're ready for me."

"Yeah! Absolutely! I… uh… wanted to meet you at the gate to avoid all this weirdness. I know that coming over here isn't easy, because… well… _all_ of this."

His expression turned apologetic and he rubbed the back of his head, looking away from the camera as the guard shifted in the background. The guard whispered something to him, and Raven seemed to catch the words ' _I don't think she cares, sir_ ' which was surprisingly true. Even though she had about a million questions regarding who he was and why he lived here, and even though Garfield was a complete enigma to her, she really _didn't_ care that she had to deal with all of this. It didn't really bother her all that much, as long as she got to see him for just a bit.

Her heart skipped again, and she felt more than a little ridiculous. "It's okay, Gar."

Garfield brightened at the little nickname and his smile seemed to fill his face easily. He glanced back towards the guard before looking back at the camera. "Thanks, Rae. Give me a few minutes and I'll come down to walk you up to the house."

Raven nodded, readjusting her bag again. "O-okay."

Garfield beamed. "See ya in a sec!"

Her cheeks flushed and she blinked as the screen went black. Looking around at the perfectly manicured house in the neighborhood where Raven felt _more_ than out-of-place, she began to wonder just what was she getting herself into.

-o-

Garfield's room was surprisingly _normal_. Based on the rest of the house, Raven had assumed that his bedroom would be dripping in opulent furniture or that there would be guards posted outside his door to keep him safe during the night time. But… it was all fairly normal. His walls were painted a soothing shade of green, and there were band and movie posters that were haphazardly strewn around the room. The only thing that really seemed to give away his status, was the overly large flat screen TV hanging on the wall, with every gaming system imaginable stacked underneath it.

Raven sat on the edge of his bed - which looked hastily made - and watched as the embarrassment filled his face again. He obviously wasn't used to having friends over like this, and there was a sort of strained silence that filled the space between them. His cheeks turned just a bit red and he picked a few things up off the floor, throwing his clothes into a hamper in the closet and straightening the pillows on his bed. Raven thought she saw him kick a _Playboy_ under the bed, and her own face blushed at that thought. She looked away, staring at the poster for some old B movie called _Space Titans_ with feigned interest as he continued to quickly tidy up the room.

"Sorry… I um…" He sat next to her on the bed and shuffled his feet, staring down at the plush carpet. "I meant to clean yesterday, but I got caught up in a game."

"That's alright." She turned back to him, and watched as he set up the DVD in one of the game systems. "I don't mind the mess."

He laughed and looked over his shoulder at her with a small smile. "I think you might if you have to see my dirty underwear all over the floor."

"Okay, maybe I would mind that." Raven couldn't stop the corners of her lips from turning up in a soft, teasing smile. Her heart skipped in her chest again, and she tightened her hands in his soft bedspread, staring at her reflection in the blank television in front of her. She could see the occasional flash of his bright, green eyes as he glanced up at her reflection too. For a moment, they caught each other's eyes and quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in something else.

"Well… I got the fake test all written, so… after we're done with the movie, we'll work on that together, okay?" Garfield stood up slowly and turned around to look at her with that bright smile again, crossing his arms over his chest as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "I plan on _personally_ making sure that you pass this class with flying colors and your blow the professor away!"

"Well, I appreciate your dedication, Gar." She cocked her head to the side, and rested her hands in her lap, feeling his infectious smile slip into her heart.

"Don't thank me yet. Actually _passing_ the test is up to you, but I have complete faith in you."

Well, she was glad that someone did. Garfield sat down next to her on the end of the bed, his knee brushing up against her own. It felt easy and familiar, like something she had felt a hundred times over. Or maybe it was something she _wanted_ to feel a hundred times over - the soft brush of his skin against her own. Warmth spread through her and Raven turned to look at him again, taking in the sight of his smooth skin and calm, happy expression. Her heart flipped and she turned to look back at the television, pretending to ignore his hand resting between them.

Swallowing her fear and reservations, Raven stared ahead and watched the play begin to unfold, and she could feel his fingers brush softly against her jeans. She knew it was accidental, but the touch felt like so much more than just an accident. It wasn't until they were ten minutes into Act One, and his fingers brushed against her jeans again, that Raven began to honestly wonder exactly _how_ she was going to make it through this whole movie like this.

She was in _so much trouble_.

* * *

 _Thank you for all the support. I appreciate the reviews and all the thoughts everyone has given me._


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